Pegleg

Age: 54
From: St Agnes
Occupation: Surf School Owner

What qualities did you think you’d bring to the game?

Life experience as a 54yr old; a Gen X attitude for just getting on with it and not whining and moaning about the hardship of it all.

How did you prepare yourself mentally and physically for taking part?

I built a couple of challenges in the garden and doubled my normal training schedule.

Mentally I knew I had what it takes as a lifetime of overcoming preconceived ideas of disability has prepared me well.

Did you have a strategy of how you were going to play the game?

To try and be Mr middle-of-the-road; I didn’t want to be seen as a threat but also didn’t want to be a weak link in the chain who wasn’t worth keeping around. As an older one-legged guy I had to prove I could hold my own.

How competitive are you?

Totally when I commit to something. Going into the show I was World Champion in my surf division and I gave up the opportunity of retaining the title to be on Survivor as I had to miss three competitions whilst we were filming.

What kind of challenges were you most looking forward to?

All ocean-based ones, the ocean is my home and I knew no one in the cast could beat me.

Also the obstacle course as I’m built for it; fast, light, good upper body strength and anything that involved climbing.

How did you cope with living on a beach with no home comforts?

I loved it, I felt totally at home living, building and existing on that beach.

How did you cope with the hunger?

Just sucked it up buttercup! It was part of the expectation of living on rice and beans. No amount of moaning was going to change it so what’s the point of focusing on it.

What did you learn from being on the show?

That I can bite my lip and not tell people just how stupid they are, that I could go more extreme living and surviving than this and that I can still give the youngsters a run for their money.